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Contents 03. Introduction 04. How to use the Toolkit 12. Sources of Information 13. Appendix A: Letter for Volunteers 14. Appendix B: Survey Form 15. Appendix C: Excel Spreadsheet of results and Google Maps With thanks to English Heritage, Natural England, Peterborough City Council, Peterborough Civic Society, Peterborough Regional College, University Centre Peterborough Front cover images (top) Cowgate, Peterborough, (bottom left) Volunteer in Peterborough, (bottom right) City Centre Building.

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Part I: Introduction

This toolkit is designed to help create a baseline of the condition of historic buildings in a discrete area in order to assess and monitor the scale of neglect with a view to finding a solution, with the overarching idea that prevention is better than cure. This toolkit assists with the identification of interlinked issues, such as vacancy, and low maintenance levels, across larger areas as the first step in resolving such problems.

Fig. 1 Cathedral Square, Peterborough

This toolkit is an outcome of the Heritage Lottery Funded project ‘Peterborough Buildings in Need’, which ran from October 2010 to June 2012. This project focused upon the standing built heritage, both designated and undesignated, of Peterborough City Centre Conservation area. The Buildings in Need project had two strands, the first a survey of the City Centre and comparison with a neighbouring area. The second is a series of training and capacity building workshops, masterclasses and lectures for

volunteers and the general public, details of which were turned into online training modules on the project website: http://peterboroughbuildingsinneed.wordpress.com/. Why Peterborough?

Predominantly the built environment of central Peterborough is of solidly Edwardian and Victorian stock however some buildings date back to the Medieval period, and the street patterns remain unchanged in the majority for the last 900 years. The main project work was undertaken by groups of volunteers in the City Centre Conservation Area and its setting with a small comparison area surveyed in the adjoining Park Conservation Area.

Peterborough Unitary Authority contains within it over 1000 listed buildings, which when surveyed in 2009 contained 9 ‘at risk’ structures as designated by the Local Authority and English Heritage, and 1 ‘at risk’ Conservation Area out of 29, the City Centre.

Fig.2. Cowgate, Peterborough

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To avoid more heritage assets ending up ‘at risk’ and to reduce the many factors which put the City Centre Conservation Area into this category, this project was designed to establish which assets are most likely to be currently ‘in need’, to raise awareness of what leads to areas and buildings being ‘in need’, and to identify maintenance tasks can be done to prevent them becoming ‘at risk’. What is the Buildings in Need Toolkit For? This tool kit is designed to establish levels of ‘need’ within the built environment of a discrete area, using individual properties as the default unit to be surveyed with a picture becoming apparent on surveying a collection of buildings. This is aggregated to understand the pattern of need across an area, and can ultimately enhance the Conservation Area management plan. For this toolkit ‘need’ is defined as a requirement for maintenance or repair. It is defined in relation to the English Heritage ‘At Risk’ designations. Buildings that are suitable for the national ‘at risk’ list may be discovered through this process, however lesser degrees of need can also be identified. The toolkit results can then be used to create specifications for targeted maintenance and discrete interventions such as repair, gutter cleaning and re-painting that will address the identified issues, thus preventing further deterioration. The toolkit is for both listed and non listed properties of all ages and can be used in Conservation areas to establish common issues for properties.

Developed for use in Peterborough City Centre Conservation Area, which is primarily commercial in nature, the survey methodology can be used on just one property or using multiple streets it can be expanded to an entire conservation area. It is completed on a building by building basis, with one sheet per building. What is ‘need’? This toolkit defines ‘need’ in a traffic light system relating to the fabric of the building an issues that lead to lack of maintenance, such as vacancy of some or all floors:

Very Poor

Signs of structural instability or structural failure

Poor Building with deteriorating masonry, leaking roofs, usually accompanied by general disrepair of most elements of the building fabric

Fair Structurally sound but in need of minor repairs or showing signs of lack of general maintenance (e.g. blocked gutter, vegetation growth)

Good Structurally sound and weather-tight and well maintained

Why establish levels of need? In the 2011 report ‘Reducing the risks’ English Heritage highlight the importance of good maintenance to the historic environment:

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‘Maintenance of heritage assets is essential if they are not to become at risk, and to prevent those that are already at risk from decaying further and thereby escalating the cost of their repair and consolidation. Buildings, for instance, decay rapidly when left empty.’

Buildings in a degree of degradation affect their setting, both aesthetically, economically and also socially. This ties into research done by Kelling and Wilson in 1982 which resulted in ‘The broken windows theory’ which is a criminological theory of the signalling effect of urban disorder and vandalism on additional crime and anti-social behaviour. The theory states that monitoring and maintaining urban environments in a well-ordered condition may stop further vandalism and escalation into more serious crime. This has been used effectively in New York amongst other places. A well presented urban environment is also a catalyst for business investment in an area.

A survey such as Buildings in Need could be used to highlight areas where changed policy, strategy or investment could benefit the built environment. The baseline could form part of a funding application as part of the ‘evidence of need’ or consultation if completed by a community group. Who is the Buildings in Need Toolkit for? This toolkit provides a standard process for establishing low level risk or ‘need’ in an area. It can be used by:

o Private owners and tenants, residential and business occupiers

o Public amenity groups, Civic Societies, interest groups

o Students o Local Planning Authorities

Fig.4. Staff from Peterborough City Council use the toolkit to survey buildings.

Fig.3. Student volunteer in the Park Area

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Part II: How to Use the Toolkit Before you start Speak to your local Conservation Officer about a project of this nature if it covers a larger area than one property. In Peterborough we supplied the volunteers with a letter on headed Council paper that explained what the project was (see Appendix A). Equipment

• Clipboard

• Survey Forms (see Appendix B)

• Map

• Pencil

• High Visibility Vest

• Camera

• Binoculars (for looking at roof and chimneys etc)

The survey is completed on a building by building basis and you will need a separate form for each property. Appendix B to this document includes examples of the forms used at Peterborough. Electronic versions can be downloaded from the Peterborough Buildings in Need project website and modified as for use elsewhere. http://peterboroughbuildingsinneed.wordpress.com/

Completing the forms

The forms are designed to be completed whilst onsite so include several tick boxes, with some areas for building specific comments as necessary. You do not need to put an answer in every section but do try to if possible. Use your judgement for this.

You will need to enter the 1) date of the survey and 2) your name and contact details.

Name and/ or number of Building

This should be evident from the building itself. If it is not obvious, write the shop name or the last known shop name here.

Is it listed?

At Peterborough use was made of Peterborough Hawkeye online map for volunteers to identify listed buildings within the survey area. However, each local planning authority will operate its own GIS system for recording listed buildings in a map format. If the local planning authority cannot provide access to their GIS system, then the English Heritage Listed Buildings On-line database should be used. Found online here: http://list.english-heritage.org.uk/ the list has a ‘Quick Search’ function that should enable the listing to be determined if the full name or part of the name of the property is known. If the location is known but the property name is not the ‘map search’ feature allows an area based search.

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Listed buildings make up about 2% of all buildings in England. There are three grades of listing:

Grade I A building of exceptional interest, only about 2.5% of all listed buildings are Grade I

Grade II* Very important and of more than special interest, approximately 5.5% of listed buildings are of Grade II*

Grade II Buildings of special interest - these make up around 92% of listed buildings

In addition to statutory listed buildings on the national list, some Local Planning Authorities will also have their own list of Locally Listed Buildings. The Local Planning Authority will be able to provide information on their Locally Listed Buildings.

Finally, there will be unlisted buildings that are still identified as making either a positive, neutral or negative contribution to the character and appearance of a Conservation Area. These will be identified on maps within the relevant Conservation Area Appraisal prepared by the Local Planning Authority. Some Conservation Areas do not have an adopted Appraisal, in which case

volunteers undertaking a survey may wish to suggest which of these three categories an unlisted building might be placed.

Fig.5. Examples of Conservation Area Appraisals

and Guidance notes.

Period of Building

At Peterborough most of the buildings in Peterborough City Centre Conservation Area date from the Georgian Period or later. Only a few early timber frame buildings survive along with some Medieval buildings in the Cathedral Precincts, being older. Again a Conservation Area Appraisal will be helpful in identifying the age of individual buildings. For listed buildings this information will be included in the list description (see EH listed buildings on line etc) If you know the date or approximate period of this building enter it here.

Is the property occupied?

Answer either YES on all floors, NO if it is unoccupied, UNKNOWN if you cannot tell EMPTY UPSTAIRS if it seems to be unused on the upper

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floors. Tick FOR SALE if there is a sale board.

Current Use

Is it a shop, cafe, estate agents? Please fill in the main use and function of the building here.

Fig.6 and Fig.7 Shop fascias in Peterborough City

Centre photographed by Buildings in Need Volunteer

Evidence of previous use?

Fig.8. The Draper’s Arms, Peterborough

Is there any evidence it was used as something else? For example at Peterborough the Drapers Arms was once a Drapers shop. If you do not know leave this answer blank.

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Windows

Do they look sound? Are they boarded? There may be unpainted frames and signs of decaying or rotting woodwork, or signs of cracking to the glass. Do they look original or are they modern replacements?

Fig 9. 10 and 11: Protected and boarded windows, and a smashed one in Peterborough City Centre.

Roof Condition

Are there missing slates or tiles? Is there evidence of decay in a thatched roof1? Is the roof line straight or bowing? Note this in the other section if this is the case. Also what are the condition of the chimneys (if visible). Tall chimneys will often bow towards the south (due to salts being deposited in the bed joints on the north side, while the sun and wind dry out the south side)

Fig 12, 13 and 14: A hole in a roof,

bowing roofline and bituminous covering

on a roof, potentially disguising issues.

1 The English Heritage Guidance note on thatch contains the following sentence ‘Bear in mind that the performance of thatch is not linked intimately to its appearance, and like a much-repaired wall a roof can present a motley appearance without being inferior to a much neater looking new job’. (English Heritage, Thatch and Thatching, 2000. Available online here: http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/content/publications/docs/thatchandthatching.pdf )

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What kind of condition are the walls visible from the public footpath in?

There may be evidence of damage through spalling stonework/ bricks, missing mortar, inappropriate repairs, cracks of all sizes, bowing or bulging in the wall (eye along the line of the wall), damp, staining, defective render, rot in exposed timber framing or vandalism

Fig 15 and 16. Damaged paintwork and stone/brick

work

Guttering and downpipes

Do they seem blocked, is there evidence for water running down the sides of buildings, such as patches of green or plaster damage? Is there

evidence of plant growth in the tops of gutters or hopper heads?

Fig 17 and 18. Growth in gutter hopper heads.

Evidence of Missing Architectural Features?

If there is any evidence of missing architectural features which for this toolkit is defined as anything original to the building that has now disappeared, perhaps leaving a gap or differently coloured render or missing decorative

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ridge tiles, door knockers, boot scrapers etc, note this here.

Fig 18 and 19:Missing features.

General Condition?

This section will create the traffic light coding when put onto a map. You will have to use the previous answers and your own judgement for this rating.

Select one of the following:

Very Poor

Signs of structural instability or structural failure

Poor Building with deteriorating masonry, leaking roofs, usually accompanied by general disrepair of most elements of the building fabric

Fair Structurally sound but in need of minor repairs or showing signs of lack of general maintenance

Good Structurally sound and weather-tight

Any other comments

Add in anything else here. For each property a digital photo will also be required. For each building take a picture of the front elevation (the section of the building facing the street) and any details you feel are of particular interest, or defects you wish to record. About 4 pictures per building at a maximum should be about right.

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Estimate of urgency of works? If works seem urgent make a note here, this is helpful for absentee landlords to have an idea of urgency for the maintenance required. The proviso is obviously that this is the opinion of one person.

Fig 20, 21, 22 and 23 Examples of photos of one

property taken by volunteers for the Buildings in

Need project:

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What to do with your results Once you have completed all the forms for an area it is a good idea to meet as a group to first moderate your results to ensure a degree of consistency, then to meet with your Conservation Officer to discuss your findings. For Peterborough Buildings in Need the findings were transferred into an Excel spreadsheet that was then colour coded and this data transferred onto a Google Map so that the individual blocks of colour established by the traffic light system could be seen in an aggregated overview. See Appendix C for examples of the spreadsheets and maps and the project website for the complete set of outputs http://peterboroughbuildingsinneed.wordpress.com/.

Local authorities have a primary role in protecting the historic environment. They often have a local heritage at risk register for buildings that are Grade II or Locally Listed and are considered to be ‘at risk’. If you believe you have identified a building that meets this criteria, in that in the traffic light system it is red and is also listed Grade II or locally listed, then you should raise this with your local Conservation Officer. English Heritage publish an annual list of Heritage at Risk, which includes Grade I and II* buildings. If you believe your survey had identified a Grade I or II* building that needs to be added to the English Heritage at risk register, then this should again be raised with the local Conservation Officer, who will

pass it on to English Heritage for their consideration to add to the national ‘at risk’ register. Getting a building on one of these lists can be the first step in tackling neglect, and to assess and monitor the scale of the problem and prioritise resources and action. Local authorities can take action to secure the preservation and maintenance of historic buildings through the use of statutory notices. It is essential that local authorities make best use of their powers to secure buildings at risk, to ‘stop the rot’ and prevent the costs escalating beyond the point where it is economic to repair. To assist in the process English Heritage has recently published updated guidance (Stopping the Rot) for local planning authorities on taking action to save historic buildings. The annual English Heritage register also includes Conservation Areas at Risk and the results of Buildings in Needs survey can help inform a Local Planning Authority in providing up-to-date information to English Heritage on the state of their conservation areas, including those which may need to be added to the ‘at risk’ register.

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Sources of Information: Peterborough Buildings in Need project website: http://peterboroughbuildingsinneed.wordpress.com/ Heritage at Risk: http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/caring/heritage-at-risk/ Reducing Risk, 2011 available at http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/content/publications/docs/acc-reducing-risks-2011.pdf Stopping the Rot guidance to enforcement actions Local Authorities can take for historic buildings: http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/publications/stoppingtherot/ SPAB maintenance site: http://www.maintainyourbuilding.org.uk/pages/maintenance.html Stitch in Time Guidance available online here: http://www.dlrcoco.ie/conservation/IHBC.pdf

HELM website: http://www.helm.org.uk/

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Appendix A – Letter for volunteers Telephone: 01733 317480

OPPORTUNITY PETERBOROUGH LOCAL BUILDINGS IN NEED To whom it may concern The person carrying out this Buildings in Need survey is a volunteer from the Peterborough Civic Society who is working on behalf of Opportunity Peterborough and the Conservation Team at Peterborough City Council. The aim of the project is to identify potential buildings ‘in need’ of maintenance in the city centre. The initial survey is being carried out throughout the City Centre Conservation Area during the autumn of 2011. Should you require any additional information or confirmation of the above work please call either Jim Daley (Principal Built Conservation Officer) on Peterborough 453522 or Alice Kershaw (Heritage Regeneration Officer) on Peterborough 317480. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. Alice Kershaw Heritage Regeneration Officer

Facsimile: 01733 453505

E-Mail: alice.kershaw@peterborough.gov.uk

Please ask for: Ms A Kershaw

Our Ref: AK/BinN

Your Ref:

Opportunity Peterborough Stuart House East Wing

St John’s Street Peterborough

PE1 5DD

Peterborough Direct Minicom 01733 452421 DX 12310 Peterborough 1

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Appendix B – Survey Form

1. Date…………………………………………

2. Surveyors Details

3. Please enter the property details.

4. Is the property occupied?

Name of surveyor

Email Address:

Phone Number:

Please enter the property

details. Address of Property

Address 2:

Listed? (if known) Yes/No

List Grade? (if known)

Yes No

Unknown Empty upstairs

For Sale

Current Use and any evidence of Previous Use

Buildings

in

Need

Buildings in Need

Survey Form

Www.PeterboroughBuildingsinNeed.Wordpress.com

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5. Condition of windows

6. Condition of roof if visible

7. Condition of visible walls? (Front or side walls visible from public footpath)

Other (please specify)

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

Please tick or underline

Good - st ructurally sound, well maintained and painted

Fair - showing some lack of maintenance, poor decorat ion Poor - in need of maintenance

Very bad - broken or boarded, rot

Please tick or underline

Good – well maintained, wind and weather t ight

Fair – wind and weather t ight, no visible deteriorat ion Poor – slipped slates

Very Bad – missing slates, holes

Is there evidence of previous repair eg mortar on the roof, different colour patches?

Describe:

Other (please specify)

Many Some No evidence

Missing stonework/

bricks

Missing mortar

Inappropriate mortar

repairs

Small cracks

Major cracks

Evidence of wall

movement

Damp/ water

staining

Graffiti

Peeling plaster or render

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8. Do the rainwater goods appear sound?

9. Is there evidence of missing or damaged architectural features?

What?

………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………

10. General condition of visible parts of the building?

11. Any further comments …………………………………………………………………………………………………..

…………………………………………………………………………………………………..

…………………………………………………………………………………………………..

…………………………………………………………………………………………………..

12. Estimate of urgency of works? In the next:

3 Months

6-9 Months

12 Months

Please include a shot of the building and any issues if possible.

Please make a note of the time you spent recording this building……………………….

Please return by post to Alice Kershaw, Opportunity Peterborough, Stuart House East, St

Johns Street, Peterborough, PE1 5DD or email to alice.kershaw@peterborough.gov.uk

Gutters with plant growth visible

Cracks

No obvious problem

very bad (st ructural failure or signs of st ructural instability)

poor (building with deteriorat ing masonry, leaking roofs, usually accompanied by general

deteriorat ion of most elements of the building fabric)

fair (st ructurally sound but in need of minor repairs or showing signs of lack of general

maintenance

good condit ion (structurally sound and weather-t ight)

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Notes

There is more information on Buildings in Need at:

www.PeterboroughBuildingsinNeed.Wordpress.com

Is it listed?

To establish if the building is listed and the grade use Peterborough Hawk-eye.

http://hawkeye.peterborough.gov.uk/hawkeye/

To use Hawkeye simply zoom to the locat ion required, if you do not know the address, or enter the address in the search box (top right, between 'layers' and 'nearest ').

Once you have a locat ion in the central box you can either see it as a Street View, Ordnance Survey map, or an aerial view. This would be good to have as a print out to allow you to find the property on the ground.

To find out if the building is listed click on 'Built Environment' on the right hand side, and check the box for 'Listed Buildings' and 'Conservat ion Areas'.

Then click 'Display on Map'. This will show you if the property is in the city cen-tre conservat ion area or not, and if it is red and you hover the cursor over it it will show you the name and list ing grade. If the building is not listed it is st ill of interest in the city centre, it does not mater for this survey whether you survey a listed building or not!

Listed buildings make up about 2% of all buildings in England. There are three grades of list ing:

Grade I - a building of exceptional interest , only about 2.5% of all listed build-ings are Grade I

Grade II* - very important and of more than special interest , 5.5% of listed buildings are of this grade

Grade II - buildings of special interest - these make up around 92% of listed buildings

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Appendix C: Excel Spreadsheet of results and Google Maps

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